---
title: npm-update
section: 1
description: Update packages
github_repo: npm/cli
github_branch: release/v7
github_path: docs/content/commands/npm-update.md
redirect_from:
  - /cli-documentation/v7/cli-commands/npm-update
  - /cli-documentation/v7/cli-commands/update
  - /cli-documentation/v7/commands/npm-update
  - /cli-documentation/v7/commands/update
  - /cli-documentation/v7/npm-update
  - /cli-documentation/v7/update
  - /cli/v7/cli-commands/npm-update
  - /cli/v7/cli-commands/update
  - /cli/v7/commands/update
  - /cli/v7/npm-update
  - /cli/v7/update
---

### Synopsis

```bash
npm update [-g] [<pkg>...]

aliases: up, upgrade
```

### Description

This command will update all the packages listed to the latest version (specified by the `tag` config), respecting the semver constraints of both your package and its dependencies (if they also require the same package).

It will also install missing packages.

If the `-g` flag is specified, this command will update globally installed packages.

If no package name is specified, all packages in the specified location (global or local) will be updated.

### Example

For the examples below, assume that the current package is `app` and it depends on dependencies, `dep1` (`dep2`, .. etc.). The published versions of `dep1` are:

```json
{
  "dist-tags": { "latest": "1.2.2" },
  "versions": [
    "1.2.2",
    "1.2.1",
    "1.2.0",
    "1.1.2",
    "1.1.1",
    "1.0.0",
    "0.4.1",
    "0.4.0",
    "0.2.0"
  ]
}
```

#### Caret Dependencies

If `app`'s `package.json` contains:

```json
"dependencies": {
  "dep1": "^1.1.1"
}
```

Then `npm update` will install `dep1@1.2.2`, because `1.2.2` is `latest` and `1.2.2` satisfies `^1.1.1`.

#### Tilde Dependencies

However, if `app`'s `package.json` contains:

```json
"dependencies": {
  "dep1": "~1.1.1"
}
```

In this case, running `npm update` will install `dep1@1.1.2`. Even though the `latest` tag points to `1.2.2`, this version do not satisfy `~1.1.1`, which is equivalent to `>=1.1.1 <1.2.0`. So the highest-sorting version that satisfies `~1.1.1` is used, which is `1.1.2`.

#### Caret Dependencies below 1.0.0

Suppose `app` has a caret dependency on a version below `1.0.0`, for example:

```json
"dependencies": {
  "dep1": "^0.2.0"
}
```

`npm update` will install `dep1@0.2.0`, because there are no other versions which satisfy `^0.2.0`.

If the dependence were on `^0.4.0`:

```json
"dependencies": {
  "dep1": "^0.4.0"
}
```

Then `npm update` will install `dep1@0.4.1`, because that is the highest-sorting version that satisfies `^0.4.0` (`>= 0.4.0 <0.5.0`)

#### Subdependencies

Suppose your app now also has a dependency on `dep2`

```json
{
  "name": "my-app",
  "dependencies": {
    "dep1": "^1.0.0",
    "dep2": "1.0.0"
  }
}
```

and `dep2` itself depends on this limited range of `dep1`

```json
{
  "name": "dep2",
  "dependencies": {
    "dep1": "~1.1.1"
  }
}
```

Then `npm update` will install `dep1@1.1.2` because that is the highest version that `dep2` allows. npm will prioritize having a single version of `dep1` in your tree rather than two when that single version can satisfy the semver requirements of multiple dependencies in your tree. In this case if you really did need your package to use a newer version you would need to use `npm install`.

#### Updating Globally-Installed Packages

`npm update -g` will apply the `update` action to each globally installed package that is `outdated` -- that is, has a version that is different from `wanted`.

Note: Globally installed packages are treated as if they are installed with a caret semver range specified. So if you require to update to `latest` you may need to run `npm install -g [<pkg>...]`

NOTE: If a package has been upgraded to a version newer than `latest`, it will be _downgraded_.

### Configuration

#### `global`

- Default: false
- Type: Boolean

Operates in "global" mode, so that packages are installed into the `prefix` folder instead of the current working directory. See [folders](/cli/v7/configuring-npm/folders) for more on the differences in behavior.

- packages are installed into the `{prefix}/lib/node_modules` folder, instead of the current working directory.
- bin files are linked to `{prefix}/bin`
- man pages are linked to `{prefix}/share/man`

#### `global-style`

- Default: false
- Type: Boolean

Causes npm to install the package into your local `node_modules` folder with the same layout it uses with the global `node_modules` folder. Only your direct dependencies will show in `node_modules` and everything they depend on will be flattened in their `node_modules` folders. This obviously will eliminate some deduping. If used with `legacy-bundling`, `legacy-bundling` will be preferred.

#### `legacy-bundling`

- Default: false
- Type: Boolean

Causes npm to install the package such that versions of npm prior to 1.4, such as the one included with node 0.8, can install the package. This eliminates all automatic deduping. If used with `global-style` this option will be preferred.

#### `strict-peer-deps`

- Default: false
- Type: Boolean

If set to `true`, and `--legacy-peer-deps` is not set, then _any_ conflicting `peerDependencies` will be treated as an install failure, even if npm could reasonably guess the appropriate resolution based on non-peer dependency relationships.

By default, conflicting `peerDependencies` deep in the dependency graph will be resolved using the nearest non-peer dependency specification, even if doing so will result in some packages receiving a peer dependency outside the range set in their package's `peerDependencies` object.

When such and override is performed, a warning is printed, explaining the conflict and the packages involved. If `--strict-peer-deps` is set, then this warning is treated as a failure.

#### `package-lock`

- Default: true
- Type: Boolean

If set to false, then ignore `package-lock.json` files when installing. This will also prevent _writing_ `package-lock.json` if `save` is true.

When package package-locks are disabled, automatic pruning of extraneous modules will also be disabled. To remove extraneous modules with package-locks disabled use `npm prune`.

#### `omit`

- Default: 'dev' if the `NODE_ENV` environment variable is set to 'production', otherwise empty.
- Type: "dev", "optional", or "peer" (can be set multiple times)

Dependency types to omit from the installation tree on disk.

Note that these dependencies _are_ still resolved and added to the `package-lock.json` or `npm-shrinkwrap.json` file. They are just not physically installed on disk.

If a package type appears in both the `--include` and `--omit` lists, then it will be included.

If the resulting omit list includes `'dev'`, then the `NODE_ENV` environment variable will be set to `'production'` for all lifecycle scripts.

#### `ignore-scripts`

- Default: false
- Type: Boolean

If true, npm does not run scripts specified in package.json files.

Note that commands explicitly intended to run a particular script, such as `npm start`, `npm stop`, `npm restart`, `npm test`, and `npm run-script` will still run their intended script if `ignore-scripts` is set, but they will _not_ run any pre- or post-scripts.

#### `audit`

- Default: true
- Type: Boolean

When "true" submit audit reports alongside the current npm command to the default registry and all registries configured for scopes. See the documentation for [`npm audit`](/cli/v7/commands/npm-audit) for details on what is submitted.

#### `bin-links`

- Default: true
- Type: Boolean

Tells npm to create symlinks (or `.cmd` shims on Windows) for package executables.

Set to false to have it not do this. This can be used to work around the fact that some file systems don't support symlinks, even on ostensibly Unix systems.

#### `fund`

- Default: true
- Type: Boolean

When "true" displays the message at the end of each `npm install` acknowledging the number of dependencies looking for funding. See [`npm fund`](/cli/v7/commands/npm-fund) for details.

#### `dry-run`

- Default: false
- Type: Boolean

Indicates that you don't want npm to make any changes and that it should only report what it would have done. This can be passed into any of the commands that modify your local installation, eg, `install`, `update`, `dedupe`, `uninstall`, as well as `pack` and `publish`.

Note: This is NOT honored by other network related commands, eg `dist-tags`, `owner`, etc.

#### `workspace`

- Default:
- Type: String (can be set multiple times)

Enable running a command in the context of the configured workspaces of the current project while filtering by running only the workspaces defined by this configuration option.

Valid values for the `workspace` config are either:

- Workspace names
- Path to a workspace directory
- Path to a parent workspace directory (will result to selecting all of the nested workspaces)

When set for the `npm init` command, this may be set to the folder of a workspace which does not yet exist, to create the folder and set it up as a brand new workspace within the project.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

#### `workspaces`

- Default: false
- Type: Boolean

Enable running a command in the context of **all** the configured workspaces.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

### See Also

- [npm install](/cli/v7/commands/npm-install)
- [npm outdated](/cli/v7/commands/npm-outdated)
- [npm shrinkwrap](/cli/v7/commands/npm-shrinkwrap)
- [npm registry](/cli/v7/using-npm/registry)
- [npm folders](/cli/v7/configuring-npm/folders)
- [npm ls](/cli/v7/commands/npm-ls)
